WHAT IS SEO? HOW DOES IT WORK? HOW CAN A SMALL BUSINESS IMPLEMENT SEO ?

July 5, 2024

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What is SEO?

SEO or search engine optimization as the name suggests is optimizing your online presence for better search appearances and ranking. Today most of the businesses have a online presence in the form of website or social media or google my business etc. But it does not necessarily mean that in case a user makes a google search to enquire or buy a product or a service you would appear in results. However, implementing an effective SEO strategy takes you there. It’s a combination of steps and processes that you implement in your online marketing strategy which help you appear in more online searches and better ranking, bring more enquiries, drive organic traffic and eventually bring more leads as well.

Prior to SEO your online presence was hardly visible to your potential customers unless you specifically share your profile with them. It was like opening a physical shop in your area that nobody knows unless they visit or you or share your address with you. But the introduction of SEO was a disruptive change. It helped browsers connect with the business at a speed. Earlier despite having a presence on several online platforms the chances that your potential clients could find you online was thin. But now if your content is relevant to what people are searching for, you have researched and identified the keywords with high search volumes you want to rank for or you have created enough backlinks to authority websites and you have a prominent online presence, you would be right up there. Relevancy, Authority and Prominence are the pillars of SEO and till today they are the cornerstone of digital marketing irrespective of the type of business.

How does it work?
According to Statista approx. 20% of global sell happens online today. But how do you think it actually happens. The first place the consumer usually visits while buying a product or a service is Yes, you are right it is non other than Google followed by e commerce websites. Almost 3.5 billion searches are done on Google every single day. When a user enters a query on Google, he or she gets multiple results depending on relevance, prominence and the location of the the person making a search.

But how do we get so many results? The search results are pulled out of the indexing or crawling by Google bot which continuously scans and indexes websites and other contents of your business and classifies them based on the type of content. When a user enters a search Google provides results in a particular order based on how relevant is your content to the search, your online and offline prominence and location of the user who is making those searches. However, the orders are dynamic because of so many online and offline factors that comes into play.

How can you start implementing this for your business?

Here is a stepwise guide on how you can start with SEO:-

Identify customer needs
The first step in the process is to identify and understand your audience. Understanding their demographics, interests, preferences, behaviours and conducting market research to analyse their needs would help you refine your online presence in tune with their searches.

Research your Keywords
1.List down all the keywords
You can even start with a single keyword and type in google search bar , you will get content around your search by your competitors or any business which will give you an idea what people are searching related to your niche.
2.Explore related searches
under related searches you could get more keywords related to your business . you can check this in Google search under People also search for and people also ask section as you scroll down your search page.
3. Make use of Free SEO tools
you can also make use of free SEO tools by Ahref, Answer the public, Semrush ,Google keyword planner to get a more comprehensive view on keywords including search volume ,keyword ranking and your competitors keywords. Look at the keywords your competitors are ranking for and also those you find missing for them but are relevant to your niche. Make a note of all such keywords. you can target them to rank yourself.

Step 3: On-Page SEO
Now that you are done with your keyword research it’s time to place them in your website to optimize your reach.
1. Optimize Title Tags: Ensure your page titles are descriptive and include target keywords.
2. Write Meta Descriptions: Craft compelling meta descriptions with keywords to improve click-through rates.
3. Use Header Tags (H1, H2, H3): Structure your content with header tags to make it easier for search engines to understand.
4. Optimize URLs: Create keyword-rich URLs.
5. Include Keywords Naturally: Ensure keywords are naturally included in your content
6. Optimize Images: Use descriptive filenames and alt text for images, and ensure they are compressed for fast loading.
7. Include descriptive content like Blogs and Faqs which give you more space to include keywords naturally.

4: Content Creation
1. Create High-Quality Content: Develop informative, engaging, valuable and interseting content in your blog post or social media posts. Always remember the first touchpoint is attention.Your content should be able to draw the attention of your potential customer before they start thinking of it.
2. Content Mix: Use a mix of blog posts, videos, stories, carousels infographics or podcasts.
3. Regular Updates: Keep your content fresh and up-to-date.Outdated content should be deleted or refreshed as it could impact negatively your brand.
4. Create content around solving problem
Pain or problem always sells better than pleasure.Peiple tend to relate easily to anything that alleviates their pain .

Step 5: Technical SEO
1. Improve Site Speed: Optimize your website’s loading speed.
2. Mobile Optimization: Ensure your site is mobile-friendly.
3. Secure Your Site (HTTPS): Use SSL to secure your site.
4. Plug broken links

Step 6: Local SEO
1. Google My Business: Create and optimize your Google My Business profile.
2. Local Listings: Ensure your business is listed on local directories and review sites.
3. Local Keywords: Use local keywords in your content and metadata.

Step 7: Link Building
1. Internal Linking: Ensure that your pages are linked internally to have a strong reach and reduced bounce rate.
2. External Links: Obtain backlinks from authority sites in your industry through guest blogging, partnerships, and content outreach.

Step 8: Social Media Integration
1. Engage on social media: Share your content on social media platforms to increase visibility.
2. Social Signals: Encourage social sharing and engagement, as social signals can indirectly impact SEO.

Step 9: Monitor and Analyze
1. Use Analytics Tools: Makr Use of analytic tolls like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to track your website’s performance.
2. Track Rankings: Monitor your keyword rankings regularly.
3. Adjust Strategies: Make data-driven decisions to refine and improve your SEO strategy

Getting overwhelmed by the number of tasks at hand is natural but you can take one step at a time and implement over a period of few months. Moreover SEO is very dynamic and always evolving so make sure you are always updated with the trends.